The Best Shopping & How To Get It Home Safely
India delivers on so many levels. Breathtaking scenery, tick. Ancient monuments, tick. Magnificent palace hotels, delicious food and a rich, fascinating history … tick, tick, tick. But there’s another thing it excels at on an epic scale: Shopping.
Indian gems, exotic spices, colourful clothing and textiles, unique arts and handicrafts, fine leather goods, incense and essential oils abound in Rajasthan and northern India … not to mention the exquisite rugs and inlaid marble for which India is renowned.
The question is where do you shop and how do you get your prized purchases home safely? Enter AGM India Tours and your own private car and driver who will take you to the most reputable stores, assist with the obligatory bargaining process to ensure the best price, and then make sure it all arrives back home in one piece.
With more than 20 years’ experience driving international clients in Rajasthan and northern India, AGM India Tours operator and principal private driver Manoj Kumar Sharma knows India’s retail world like the back of his hand.
He has unique local knowledge of the best stores and finest products, knows many of the store owners personally, can assist with challenging language issues and also the complex bargaining process. Simply tell him what purchases and souvenirs you are most interested in and he will take you to the most reputable retailers in that city or destination.
Always remember: While Indian traders can be very persistent, you are under no obligation to buy anything at any store. And before you ask: Yes, Manoj may benefit from nominal commissions on certain purchases, but that’s not what motivates him. His goal is to take his valued clients to the most competitively priced stores in India, and then help transport your purchases to wherever they need to go.
With smaller purchases, such as jewellery, spices, clothing and textiles, these can all fit in your luggage ready for the flight home. Be sure to stay within your luggage allowance as some airlines – notably Air India – will charge a Maharajah’s ransom for excess baggage and charges by the kilogram. You have been warned.
Visiting an Indian tailor is a fun and special experience. Remember to bring any favourite items of clothing from home you would like copied for a very reasonable price – or the tailor can measure you in store for new, customised designs.
For larger, impossible-to-pack buys such as artworks, heavier wood or stone handicrafts, rugs and even furniture, Manoj can assist with the more complex issue of shipping the goods home.
While India has long been adept at shipping rugs and carpets with few issues, the process of shipping wood, rattan and other natural fibre products to overseas destinations can be very challenging.
This often requires organising shipping and customs agents in both countries and other frustrating paperwork, both on your part as well as the original retailer. Unless you have your heart set on a larger purchase, buy Indian products at home from a local importer.
The joy of having your own private car and driver in Rajasthan and northern India is that you can shop as you go, storing any goods in the safety of the vehicle, and packing them at the end of your trip. Another reason why travelling with AGM India Tours makes perfect sense.
Did You Know?
Different Indian cities specialise in certain arts and handicrafts:
Agra: Inlaid marble, rugs and leather goods
Jaipur: Jewellery, clothing and textiles
Udaipur: Miniature paintings and other artworks
Jodhpur: Handicrafts, blue pottery and textiles
Jaisalmer: Antique silver and leather goods
New Delhi: Everything and anything
